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Gov. Ron DeSantis declared Florida an “oasis of freedom” from coronavirus restrictions Friday as he kicked off the 2021 Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando that saw violations of a local mandatory mask rule.
“We are in an oasis of freedom in a nation that’s suffering from the yoke of oppressive lockdowns,’' the governor said. “We look around in other parts of our country, and in far too many places, we see schools closed, businesses shuttered and lives destroyed. And while so many governors over the last year kept locking people down, Florida lifted people up.”
More than 30,600 Floridians have died of COVID-19 since the pandemic began with nearly 1.9 million total cases in the state.
For much of the day, CPAC’s attempts to enforce mask policies imposed because of the pandemic led to some tense moments involving people whose adherence to the rule was spotty at best.
YouTube personality Essential Fleccas, registered as news media, was asked to leave after repeated refusals to wear a mask.
The annual conference was shifted to Florida this year after COVID-19 restrictions shut down the event’s traditional Maryland hotel.
Both CPAC and the Hyatt Regency Orlando vowed that mask-wearing and social distancing would be strictly enforced, especially after CPAC made headlines last year when a New Jersey doctor who attended tested positive for the coronavirus shortly afterward.
But non-compliance started early.
Several attendees in line to hear DeSantis pulled theirs down to talk to each other, despite signs reminding people to wear masks and keep six feet apart all around the hotel and conference center.
One person not wearing a mask walked past several Hyatt employees without being directed to put one on. Other Hyatt employees successfully asked people to put on or pull up their masks, and later in the day, they walked around with warning signs and with bags of masks to hand out.
At one point CPAC organizers were booed and met with chants of “Freedom!” when they asked the crowd to comply.
“I know this might sound like a little bit of a downer, but we also believe in property rights, and this is a private hotel,” said Dan Schneider, executive director of the American Conservative Union, which runs CPAC. “And we believe in the rule of law, so we need to comply with the laws of this county that we’re in.’'
Despite the lapses, Orange County spokeswoman Despina McLaughlin said COVID-19 strike teams visited the Hyatt unannounced and found “every effort is being made” to enforce mask policies.
While no final attendance numbers were available, the main ballroom repeatedly approached its post-COVID capacity of 1,400 throughout the day. CPAC expects about 4,000 people over the course of the event.
‘Stand your ground’
In his speech, DeSantis urged conservatives to stand firm against progressives.
“When the left comes after you, will you stay strong? Or will you fall? he said. “[When] you engage in the battles ahead, hold the line. Stand your ground and don’t ever, ever back down.”
The governor also touched on one of the major themes of this year’s CPAC, at which seven panels will discuss Trump’s unfounded claims of a “stolen” election.
In November, DeSantis declared that Florida’s election went smoothly, with President Trump easily winning the state. Even so, last week the governor proposed legislation to restrict mail-in voting and dropboxes, key obsessions for Trump and his team’s conspiracy theories.
“We weren’t going to rest on our laurels this year,” DeSantis said. “Florida’s leading on banning all forms of ballot harvesting and bans on third party political groups like those funded by billionaire Mark Zuckerberg from interfering in the administration of our elections.”
DeSantis, who plans to run for reelection next year and is considered a possible presidential candidate in 2024, made no mention of Trump in his five minutes of remarks.
‘Trump ain’t going anywhere’
DeSantis was one of many potential 2024 GOP presidential candidates who spoke at CPAC Friday, including U.S. Sens. Rick Scott, Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley and Tom Cotton. Sen. Marco Rubio, another 2024 contender, was a late addition to the agenda for Saturday.
But Trump, despite his loss to President Biden and his second impeachment for inciting the pro-Trump mob that attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6, still looms over the event and the Republican Party as he prepares to close out the conference on Sunday.
Out-of-staters attending the event had high praise for DeSantis as a candidate for the White House.
“Absolutely 100% we would support him,” said Marla Luciano of New Jersey. “We would work morning, noon and night to get him elected.”
She added, “His leadership during this ‘pandemic’ has been phenomenal,” making air quotes around the word “pandemic.”
But DeSantis would have to get in line behind Trump, they said.
“I think Trump is more powerful outside of office than he was inside of office,” said New Jerseyan Elizabeth Nader. “And we’re going to see him do a lot to lead the party. And he’s going to make us focused again on 2022. So will he run again? We don’t know. ... In no way will we ever leave that movement because it’s the true American movement, and DeSantis understands that.”
But other attendees thought the party needed younger blood.
Roland Johns, an 18-year-old freshman at Boise State University, took a selfie with Republican U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, who made the rounds at radio shows doing interviews and taking pictures — all without a mask on.
Johns said people like Gaetz and DeSantis represent the future of the Republican party, and that Trump should not run in 2024.
“Trump started a very big movement,” Johns said. “I think it’s up to the next generation of politicians and leaders to finish the job.”
Johns was not wearing a mask and said most people at the convention didn’t care. He said the hotel staff asked him to put one on, but he still didn’t wear one.
Scott, meanwhile, mentioned Trump multiple times in his 15-minute speech.
“Both of the impeachments of President Trump were nothing more than non-serious political vendettas and political theater,” Scott said in a speech that also called Democrats “an absolute mortal threat to our freedom, to our prosperity, to our way of life, to our families, and the future of the United States of America.”
Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who dismissed mask-wearing as “virtue signaling,” joked about his brief trip to Mexico during his state’s brutal winter freeze last week.
“I’ve got to say, Orlando is awesome,” Cruz said. “It’s not as nice as Cancun. But it’s nice.”
Cruz, who at one point screamed “Freedom!” at the top of his lungs, added: “Let me tell you this right now, Donald Trump ain’t going anywhere.”
‘A piece of Americana’
The speeches at CPAC sometimes took a backseat to the happenings in the lobby and other areas of the hotel.
A video of a gold Trump statue being wheeled through the hotel went viral Thursday night, with many critics joking that attendees should read what their Bibles had to say about golden idols.
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The artist, Tommy Zegan from San Ysidro, California, said he hopes it ends up in Trump’s presidential library someday.
“It’s a piece of Americana,” he said. “It’s going to go down in history.”
Zegan said he tried donating it at Trumps’ residence in Mar-a-Lago on the former president’s birthday. The Secret Service stopped him, but he said he’s still hopeful it will get to Trump.
The work features Trump wearing a suit, American flag swim trunks and sandals. He’s also holding a magic wand and the U.S. Constitution.
Vickie Froehlich, 67, of Kenyon, Minnesota, collects the autographs of conservative politicians in a scrapbook she made. Froehlich stood outside of DeSantis’ interview with FOX Nation to try to get his signature but was unsuccessful.
“I try not to be terribly pushy,” she said.
slemongello@orlandosentinel.com, swalker@orlandosentinel.com